description: LOCALITY: Meikle Mine, Elko County, Nevada, United States
3 3/4" across
This piece was bought from Stuart Wilensky in 2002.
The gold mine in northern Nevada with ore riddled with large cavities was a prolific producer of barite between 1998 and 2000 and many fine pieces were preserved by Casey Jones of Geoprime in Las Angeles.
The crystals on this piece are an appealing golden yellow, glassy lustered, on a well proportioned matrix and completely free of damage. Undamaged pieces were made all the rarer when specimen producing efforts by Geoprime were hampered by those who set out to ruin the crystal lined pockets of barite instead of preserving them. Since barite is such a soft mineral which displays perfect cleavage along three planes, it is very easy to damage even when the best efforts are made to preserve it.